Pages

August 31, 2008

OK, so I took a long needed vacation to Vegas (I really should do more non-conference traveling).

Anyway, I sent pictures and vids to this blog thinking I sent them to my e-mail. I mean it was silly stuff like me at the Star Trek Hilton and riding that spiral escalator at Cesar's. No Journalists Gone Wild type of thing. Oh, but I did see The Beatles' LOVE by Circque du Soliel.

August 22, 2008

JCCC will hold its first police officer swearing-in ceremony at 1:30 p.m. today in the Capitol Federal Conference Center of the Regnier Center. Fifteen officers will take an oath of employment as members of the JCCC Police Department. Most are retired officers from the Overland Park or Kansas City, Mo., police departments. Combined, officers in JCCC’s police department have 677 years of experience in police work.

August 21, 2008

Posted Monday on the Johnson County Community College electronic mail server on behalf of Dr. Marilyn Rhinehart, Vice President of Instruction (The first section numbered 1-9 is fairly boring. Actually, the whole thing kinda is but it does address the reorganization, budget and renovations):

I hope everyone is off to a good semester! It is hard to believe it is the middle of August. Please take the time to read this lengthy message, for it is full of information about what has been and will be happening in the Instructional Area. If you have any questions, email me.

For those who did not or could not attend the all-faculty meeting on August 13, I wanted to be sure you were aware of the presentations and certain information on reorganization in the Instructional Area to date. With the exception of the welcome/introductions, faculty or staff requested the opportunity to make the presentations below and thus set the agenda. If you have any questions or want more information, contact the person whose name is listed next to the agenda item. Information on reorganization is interspersed throughout the material below.

(2) Faculty Summer Think Tank—Linda Creason was the emcee for this group and its new initiative. This group has distributed an email to which a number of you have responded already about a new standing committee called the Teaching, Learning, and Engagement Committee (TLEC).

(3) Reading Across the Curriculum: My Final Sabbatical Leave—Andrea Kempf

(8) ANGEL (the new Learning Management System that will replace Blackboard)—Monica Hogan and Ed Lovitt

(9) Faculty Association Announcements—Mike Martin

Information on Reorganization: The Reorganization Task Force Steering Committee approved the launching this summer of the search for several new deans and the start up of chair positions in Sociology and History in 2008-2009. FA President Mike Martin and I worked together to solicit faculty and staff to serve on the healthcare professions/wellness, business, technology, and distance learning search committees.

(2) The search committees for Dean of the Technology Division and Dean of the Business Division are in the midst of their work as is the search committee for an assistant dean of Distance Learning.

(3) Stu Shafer is the new chair for Sociology and reports to the LA division dean. The History Department will begin its “start up” with the selection of a chair in the spring, 2009.

The Dean of Curriculum and Academic Quality position (Curriculum Coordinator Debby Hassur will work with this dean, but no faculty are in the reporting line) will be posted shortly, and review of applications will begin at the end of this month.

Currently, Csilla Duneczky is serving as interim assistant dean for the Sciences. Jeff Frost is serving as interim assistant dean for Math. Andy Anderson is serving as interim assistant dean for English and Journalism. Richard Fort is serving as interim assistant dean for Industrial Technology. Ruth Randall is serving as interim dean for Liberal Arts (which at the moment includes Math and Sciences). Bill Brown is serving as interim dean for the Business & Technology Division (until it is divided with the selection of the deans noted above). Patti Ward is continuing as the interim Honors facilitator.

What we called the Dean, Evening and Weekend Programs previously is now the Dean, Academic Support Division, which Dr. Lin Knudson continues to lead. The Library, Media Production, Educational Technology Center, distant learning, and evening/weekend programs are in the division, and Lin also oversees the ITP process and use of Astra schedule and Platinum Analytics for the Instructional Area. Alan Swarts has joined the division as the director of accelerated programs.

Larry Able will be moving to the Police Academy and report to Dr. Jerry Wolfskill to join continuing education opportunities for law enforcement personnel with the training of newly hired law enforcement officers who must complete the Police Academy successfully to remain officers with the local municipalities, sheriff’s department, and other agencies.

The Reorganization Task Force Steering Committee will begin meeting again soon to continue its work on the next steps that will be taken in the Instructional Area. Stay tuned!

Information on Budget for 2008-2009

The amount of travel money for full-time faculty professional development in the Instructional Area will be increased from $450/FT faculty member to $550/FT faculty member with formal approval of the legal budget by the Board of Trustees on August 19. This will take a little time because of the number of areas to which funds must be distributed.

Approximately $175,000 in funds to meet current supply budget needs and increases in the cost of a variety of services that affect the Library, the welding program, the new polysomnography program, the nursing program, the Lawrence Centennial High School where a new outreach initiative has begun, and a host of others areas was added to the budget as well as additional funds for media classrooms.

Remodeling/Renovation for Instructional Area either completed or near completion.This has been a massive project.

Dining Services was honored for the gold medal they won in the Catering-Special Event category of the National Association of College and University Food Services 2008 Dining Awards. They received first prize among mid-size colleges and universities for their work at the Nerman opening gala.

Student Nathan Grosch won a second-place award in the League for Innovation national student literary competition.

Student Holly Petermann was named a Phi Theta Kappa Leader of Promise, one of only 30 students nationwide to be selected for the honor.

Budget

The board conducted a public hearing regarding the college’s budget. The purpose of the hearing is to allow taxpayers to object to the proposed use of funds and the amount of tax to be levied, and for the board to consider amendments. However, no one came forward to speak and the hearing was concluded.

The board then approved the college’s 2008-2009 operating budget. The budget is $142,917,552, an increase of 7.5 percent over 2007-2008’s total of $132,928,376.

In this budget, the mill levy assessed for the college will not change for 2008-2009 but will remain the same, at 8.749 mills. However, the cost-per-credit-hour for students will increase by $2 for Kansas residents and $5 for students from outside the state. Johnson County residents will pay $65 a credit hour this fall, Kansas residents $80 a credit hour and nonresidents $149 a credit hour.

The budget also includes the renewal of an annual capital outlay mill levy of one-half mills each year for a period of five years for equipment, construction, repair and remodeling of facilities.

The college anticipates a 7 percent increase in state aid in 2008-2009. Assessed valuation in the county is expected to increase by 1 percent.

The college’s 2008-2009 operating budget reflects several new full-time positions, including faculty in polysomnography, dental hygiene, administration of justice, marketing and management, sociology, English, interior design, life science, architecture, and counseling. Also included are staff in coaching, hospitality management, automotive technology, media production, the Science Resource Center, financial aid, college information, the business office, housekeeping, campus police, the Intercultural Center, and Information Services.

Operating costs are again limited to an increase of 2 percent, except in areas where greater increases could not be controlled, such as utilities and insurance. Capital expenses fund an extension of the dental hygiene and EMS facilities in the Science building and the completion of renovations to the Police Academy.

The college’s legal budget will now be filed with the county.

Philosophy of compensation

The board adopted this philosophy of compensation:

The members of the board of trustees at Johnson County Community College recognize that learning success is dependent on the recruitment and retention of highly qualified employees. The board subscribes to a philosophy of compensation that recognizes the value and contributions of each employee to the success and purpose of our educational institution. The board defines and supports policies that promote fairness, recognition of achievement, responsibility and accountability of all college employees. In addition, the board also believes that the working environment should encourage creativity and exploration of new ideas based on the premise that innovation is often achieved through incremental, strategic risk-taking. Further, it is acknowledged that while monetary compensation and tangible benefits are basic to the well-being of all employees, other mechanisms for recognition of achievement will be utilized to demonstrate the college’s commitment to valuing employees.

With respect to full-time employees, the board of trustees has historically supported and will continue to support compensation that has the following components: salary, a comprehensive benefits package, professional development opportunities and employee award and recognition programs.

Other action

Dr. Vin Clark, past president of the Faculty Association, commended Lynn Mitchelson, past board chair, for his service as chair the past two years.

The board approved a proposal from Sungard Higher Education to modify the JCCC instance of the Banner enterprise resource planning system to allow the college to record a student’s declaration of a major, which has become critical to ensure state funding. The total expenditure is not to exceed $216,000.

The board approved a bid from Delta Innovative Services to repair the northeast section of the roof of GEB. The total expenditure is not to exceed $259,927.

The board approved a bid from H&R Lawn and Landscape, Inc., for landscaping at the Police Academy. The total expenditure is not to exceed $138,351.

The board approved a lease agreement with KU Edwards Campus for the use of classrooms for the 2008-2009 academic year for the sum of $30,000.

The board approved the issuance of credit cards for seven JCCC administrators.

The board approved the working agenda for the Human Resources committee and the renewal of a contract with Lewis & Ellis to provide consulting services for employee benefits.

Dr. Terry Calaway, JCCC president, opened his first Town Hall meeting of the new academic year on Aug. 20 by welcoming faculty back to campus.

Reorganization. The first question came via e-mail, asking why people had to follow procedures to hire part-time employees when vice presidents could be appointed. Dr. Calaway noted that last year one vice president was appointed, but two were promoted to that position because of increased responsibilities. Dr. Judy Korb, vice president, human resources, also responded, noting that the positions themselves were not new; instead, new titles had been given to existing positions. New positions require new monies. Twenty-eight new positions were approved in the 2008-2009 budget. Without such funding, new positions can’t be added. In the past, a solution was to create temporary positions, which do not require board approval. However, some of those temporary positions have turned into long-term solutions and need to be revisited.

Dr. Calaway noted that an announcement about the further reorganization of the college’s structure would be made next Wednesday. The announcement will confirm that we’re moving toward a structure with eight deans so that cross-functional committees will know how to ensure all areas are represented.

Regarding timelines, the search process is well underway for the dean of technology, and the search for the dean of business is coming up. Dr. Calaway had an agreement with the faculty not to do more than that over the summer while faculty were gone. The task force meetings on academic reorganization will resume in early September, and the next series of changes will be discussed.

Salary study. As of now, 497 job descriptions have been sent to the Hay Group for review. Another 100 descriptions need to be completed and sent. We should have feedback before the beginning of October. Hay will also look at the salary structure and compare the college’s positions and salaries with similar colleges.

Facilities. Dr. Calaway noted the board is committed to building a new library. This year architects will be working to come up with a design. The college doesn’t want to do “value engineering” and scale back the building – we want to do it right, he said. The ballpark estimate for the new library is $70 million. Costs are likely to come down; if they don’t, that would mean we’d need to plan another capital campaign. The new library will not be a stand-alone building. No matter its size, it will be connected to a current structure so that the college can take advantage of state funding. He’d also like the architects to look at ways to incorporate the fine arts program into the library so that art students and faculty are closer to the museum. Technology programs would then expand into a renovated and repaired ATB.

In response to question about a sign or a marquee on the corner, Dr. Calaway noted that his preference would be to clean up classrooms first before spending dollars on a sign, but he would look into whether zoning restrictions would allow us to place something on the corner to announce events and classes.

Benefits. There have been problems with the contractors covering health service at the campus health clinic. These are being addressed now, although it’s possible the college will seek a new contractor for these services. Benefit coverage for domestic partners will be discussed as part of the negotiations that take place with the Faculty Association this year.

Maintenance. People brought up how resources should be allocated to maintain buildings at the level of the Regnier Center. In addition to the public spaces and restrooms, it’s important to get all campus classrooms up to that level with new furniture, carpet and paint. If people see problems, they should report them to Campus Services. A message with more details regarding how this can be done will be sent on infolist shortly; Dr. Calaway will also walk around campus to see how buildings are maintained.

Student engagement. In response to a question about whether sufficient teaching faculty were involved in the new learner engagement process, Dr. Calaway noted that research shows that the quicker learner engagement happens, the better for students. This requires a holistic approach across the entire institution. In response to a question that staff in Student Services felt disengaged from the process, Dr. Calaway noted that one of the most difficult parts of change is communication and vowed to work harder to that end.

As to whether the creation of a separate division for counseling is a permanent move, it’s impossible to say, Dr. Calaway noted. A group will be heading to Texas to meet with CCSSE (Community College Survey of Student Engagement) to talk about student development. We can’t yet say what will happen until we look at ways to develop the idea of learner engagement, which will include the organizational structure that best incorporates engagement into the institution.

August 14, 2008

Monday a friend passed away. She always supported my reporting on the college and never feared going on the record even when it put her at risk. Here is the article that introduced me to Betty Bullock:

Remembering September 11th: a day of contrasts

by Miguel M. Morales

Juliet Kincaid began her 60th birthday last year in a bad mood.

"I hadn't accomplished all the goals that I wanted to in life," said Kincaid, professor, English.

Kincaid took comfort in her Tuesday teaching schedule. Keeping busy would suppress her grumpy mood, she said.

Kincaid and her daughter heard the news report over the radio while driving to the college.

"It all happened so fast. Just as soon as we heard about the first plane, the second plane hit," she said. "Then the towers collapsed. I will never have a worse birthday than that one."

Concerns over her own life goals vanished immediately, she said.

"I was affected by depression, so were my students," said Kincaid. "They were distracted into the spring semester."

Even her everyday tasks took on new meaning. Kincaid said repeatedly hearing Sept. 11 in the media and in conversations became difficult and inescapable.

"When I would go to the bank and the teller would see my ID, they would recoil at the sight," she said.

Kincaid didn’t celebrate her birthday this year. She doesn't know if she ever will again.

"It's not my day anymore," she said. "That day belongs to the country."

Betty Bullock shares the same birthday, though she has different feelings about the day and its importance in her life.

The plan was for six friends to join Bullock, assistant professor, Sociology for dinner.

"After the day's events, I e-mailed everyone that I still intended to go out to eat," said Bullock. "If they needed to stay with their families, I understood and we would celebrate another time."

Bullock’s birthday celebration was to be at her favorite restaurant followed by cake and ice cream at home.

"Without exception, they all replied they would meet me there," said Bullock.

The group expressed their concerns over the day’s events.

"We also laughed a lot because we needed that release," she said. "We toasted friendship and life and honored the souls of those who had made their transition. We shared our food and our fear, but most of all we shared our friendship."

August 7, 2008

It is with a great deal of personal and professional sadness that we announce that Dr. Wayne Brown, executive vice president, administration, and CIO, will be leaving Johnson County Community College in September. He has accepted the position of vice president of information services at a university out-of-state. Dr. Brown has brought many innovations and tremendous growth to our IT service area, and he has recently led our college through a ground-breaking assessment of campus and community safety. His leadership and talent will be deeply missed. However, please join me in congratulating him on this new and challenging endeavor.

Within the next several days I plan to distribute a college-wide communication that will describe several new initiatives the college will be undertaking and related administrative adjustments to support those initiatives. In that correspondence I will include information about any changes to the IS branch. In the meantime, I know we can rely on the talents and skills of our Information Services staff and Campus Police officers to keep us connected and safe during this time of transition.

August 2, 2008

The archives recently acquired World War II documents that include handwritten accounts by Army Lieutenant Francis R. Gerald.

Gerald details an aerial bombing operation over Emden, Germany on Dec. 11, 1943. He describes his escape from a damaged airplane, and his capture by German soldiers.

“Arrived late that night at the ‘hole’ in Frankfurt Dulag - Luft. Searched thoroughly Put in tiny cells - solitary confinement… Almost drove crazy for 6 days. Interrogated by head of German Intelligence several times. Tried scaring us into talking.”

Another of Gerald’s journal details his liberation from a German prisoner of war camp.

“APRIL 30 Woke up to find allied officers occupying Guard towers evacuated by Germans late last night. (A sight I waited year and a half to see) Plenty of excitement in camp. Rumors as usual. Col. Zemke gave talk over address system explaining the situation. I moved over to Luftwaffe officers barracks with FF Squadron. Their Barracks left in mess – had to clean up. Dozens of photos of Hitler, Goering, Goebbels, Heidrich [Heydrich], Himmler We destroyed (painted up). Red X parcels issues 3 per man. Plenty of food at last. Thinking of Jo.”

Several Western Union telegrams from the U.S. Secretary of War notify Gerald’s mother, Margaret, of his MIA status, recovery and return home.

Another project for the digital archives will feature one of a kind items from the Fashion Merchandise and Design department.

The collection includes pieces from the likes of legendary designers Coco Chanel and Christian Dior. Student made items also feature in the collection as do various costumes and uniforms.

Barry Bailey, Digital Projects Librarian, is currently working with Joan McCrillis, professor of Fashion Merchandise and Design, to catalogue and photograph the collection for display in the digital archives.

Bailey said since many of the items use delicate fabrics, may not survive much longer due to the inadequate and overloaded storage facility. Bailey said many of the garments are in an advanced state of deterioration.

The first phase of the project will focus on the department’s extensive hat collection.

The digital archives also features documents related to the founding of the college 40 years ago.

That’s definitely not what one would expect from a librarian or even a digital projects librarian.

Bailey brings a new face and focus to Billington Library and it's 21st Century Library project.

His job focuses on resources the college provides to the campus community and people everywhere.

“I’m responsible for organizing and creating online tools and collections that will benefit patrons; the preservation of the campus’ created output or acquired resources; and giving JCCC a digital presence to be distributed globally,” he said.

Bailey said the future of the library’s digital initiative stems from how it will affect and support students and faculty. He said the library will continue to add interesting digital collections and provide a sensible approach to searching and retrieving the information it already has.

“There are so many resources here that students and faculty probably need but aren’t taking advantage of,” he said. “Every library struggles with this, no matter how big or small, and I plan implementing better ways for the user to end up with the information they need.”

Bailey said part of that implementation includes awareness.

“We’re missing out on showing people how to get [information],” he said. “It comes down to how well the resources are promoted.”

Bailey attended high school in Paris, Illinois.

“It is embarrassing. The condition of my high school would be unacceptable as a parking garage for the high schools here,” he said. “I am truly overwhelmed by the size, scope, and value placed on education in JohnsonCounty, and I am envious.”

From Paris Bailey went to the University of Illinois -- Urbana-Champaign for the last 7 years.

He attended as an undergrad, graduate student, then served as faculty working for the GraingerEngineeringLibraryInformationCenter.

Bailey said he came to JCCC because of his wife whom he met at U of I. She used to live in Overland Park and wanted to return to start their family.

“I told my boss at Grainger that if a job ever opened up in the Kansas City area, I was going to try to get there,” he said. “Lo and behold, the Digital Projects Librarian position here in the city with the specific expertise I have. I’m glad it worked out so smoothly.

“Everyone’s very encouraging at JCCC and the entirety of the library is backing the projects we’re pushing forward -- I’m excited.”

Bailey Bits:

Programs for fun.

Plays D&D (is looking for a new group).

Plays a lot of instruments, but mainly the guitar.

Favorite author: Samuel Beckett.

Loves football and is a die-hard Bears fan (favorite current player: Lance Briggs. All time: Walter Payton).

Favorite video game: “Metal Gear Solid 2.”

Favorite movie: “Eraserhead.”

Has an obsession with Schlotzsky's because he thought it shut down nation-wide four years ago.

Miguel M. Morales

Miguel grew up in Texas working as a migrant and seasonal farmworker. He is a Lambda Literary Fellow, a member of the Macondo Writers Workshop, and a VONA/Voices alum. Miguel also serves as president of the Latino Writers Collective.